Plano Gamers - Blingdenstone

Meeting the Neighbors

Session 2

27

NOV/12

After getting information about several things that needed to be done, the group decided to seek out Gallus.

Gallus

The group travelled unhindered to the Armorers and Weaponsmiths Guild. Thorn carried the cracked crystal in front of him, as the others followed. They didn’t see any creatures, but they were vaguely aware of movement along the walls. After Thorn set down the crystal, a small, thin, yellowish-grey creature appeared, almost as if out of the stone.

He noted that the group were not the “grey ones” and asked what they wanted. Thorn explained about the elementals and the gnomes. Thorn then said that he wanted their help with the elementals. The pech (Gallus) said that the pechs did not like the grey ones, who “wounded the stone” with their tools and who used to bind and enslave the earth elementals, their distant kin. He had tried to live peacefully with the grey ones, but their leader refused and sometimes attacked the pechs, who had lived in the caves long before the gnomes made a home there.

Thorn then offered to talk to Kargien, to persuade him to allow the pechs to live there. Thorn asked if the pech could live with the gnomes, and Gallus responded that he could, if the gnomes could stop attacking them.

Gravel asked if the pechs could clear stone as well as make it grow. Gallus said that they probably could, that it would be better than wounding the stone.

The group and Gallus then talked about the elementals, which he said included “the One Who Rages,” (Ogremoch’s Bane) an earth creature that was quite powerful and had freed and protected the earth elementals. The pechs are fearful of the Bane, as it is destructive, even though it freed the elementals. It wants to destroy its brother, “the Calming One.” Gallus says that the Bane is magical and can only be hurt by magic. The group asked if they had magic, and Gallus said yes, they could protect against the Bane but could not damage it.

Thorn then asked if the pechs had seen the crystal he brought. Gallus said that he had, that they were brought from deep in the earth by the purple worms. Thorn asks if Gallus can heal the crystal, who says that they can try and then takes the crystal with him.

Kargien

The group returns to Kargien, to tell him what they had learned. Kargien dismisses the pechs, calling them cockroaches. He explains how they had been undoing the gnomes’ work, of creating a home here. Thorn and Gravel point out that the pechs were here before the gnomes and seem to know about the elementals, including a more powerful force. Kargien recognizes the One Who Rages as Ogremach’s Bane and says there’s an opposing brother, Entemoch’s Boon (“The Calming One”). They ask that, if the pechs help, would he be willing to let them stay and to stop attacking them. Kargien says that he will consider it.

Kargien then says that the gnomes recently found something in the temple that could help and, from his locked chest, pulls a brownish, cloudy quartz-like piece that had been carved like a staff head piece and that has some feint marking or image on it, which had been damaged or worn so that it was not recognizable. Kargien said that, if the group leads the Bane to the Boon, a cave not far away, they could place the relic at the foot of the pillar of the Boon. The charm would then pull the Bane into it and trap it, which they should then bury the charm and the Bane beneath the Boon, imprisoning it forever.

They ask about magic weapons, and Kargien says that they have almost none left except for a handaxe. Again, he unlocks his chest, moves aside some books and papers, and pulls out the handaxe. He says that he will give the group this weapon if they would promise a favor in return. He explains that in the House Center King Schnicktick made his last stand. It’s likely that the king’s remains are still there, including his sword and crown. It would be a great symbol of restoring their home if they could retrieve these things. However, while there are orcs in that cavern, other creatures seem to have taken residence in the House Center. The group agrees that they could do this.

Kargien then says he must prepare for rest, taking off his emerald necklace. Sir Paul asks if Kargien would like the crown for himself, to which Kargien says that while he has a noble family, he’s not of noble blood.

The group leaves and heads to the Singing Stones to rest for the evening.

Orcs

The next morning, the group discusses the possibility of having Sasha sneaking into the House Center, but they recall that Kargien said there were “other things” there, that even the orcs would not go in. They decide to check with Gallus about the crystal and then to see how tough the orcs are.

When they see Gallus again, they ask if he was able to repair the crystal. He retrieves it and says that the crystal and the pechs could not talk well together. Indeed, the cracks were filled opaquely, an imperfect repair. They then explained that Kargien had agreed to consider living in peace with the pechs, if they helped with the Bane and elementals. As Gravel pulls out the quartz charm, Gallus is aware of its magic and calls it “bad rotten thing.” He says that he says the “vile ones” carry such things. When asked about the “vile ones,” Gallus says that some gnomes were very bad and wanted destruction. He heard them talk in shadows before the fall, and they were the one who led the “dark ones” to attack the city. He says that he will not help them if they use the rotten stone. They say, no, they would not use it.

Gallus is comforted and trusts their words, saying that he and other pechs could help them. They ask where the Calming One was, and he pointed to the southeast, saying that it was in a different cavern, outside the city and that he could lead them there.

The group then asks another favor: They would like to drive the orcs away, but would like to know where they are. Gallus then goes into the stone, almost passing into it. After a few minutes, he returns. He saw 5 large flying bugs in one room. Then in one further away, he say 5 orcs.

The group passed what Gravel realized were stirges and went to the darkened cave where the orcs were. After some hiding, they found hiding places, cast light on a rock and threw it out. They saw 2 groups of 4 orcs. Bennett was able to charm 2 and told them to run away. The group then fought and killed the other two orcs, as the fifth orc ran past them. They were able to injure him and knock him down, killing him.

The group then went into the passage where the 2 charmed orcs ran. In another large cavern with a large pillar, they made out the sounds of several orcs. Taking different positions behind the pillar, they again cast light on rocks and threw them at the orcs, exposing 7 of them. Sir Paul put two to sleep. Bennett and Sasha then fought 2 orcs while Sir Paul, Gravel, and Thorn fought 3. Thorn took a lot of damage, but they were able to defeat their orcs, though not before one orc knocked Bennett unconscious. Gravel was able to get to him before he died and healed him.

The Return

The group took several of the orc weapons (two-handed greataxes and shortbows, as well as some 6 gold pieces). They returned to Gallus and told him that they had killed many orcs, some of whom appeared to be eating a pech corpse. Gallus said that they occasionally lost pechs to the orcs.